Nurarikurari
by LavenderSkies
Summary: While the youkai Nurarihyon was known to be evasive, for Nura Rikuo, the one that eluded his grasp the most was an onmyouji girl. A short story looking into the progression of their relationship over the years.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Nurarihyon no Mago is the property of Shiibashi Hiroshi.

* * *

><p>Note: "Nurarikurari" indicates something slippery or evasive. It relates to the nature of the youkai Nurarihyon.<p>

This story takes into account all events in the manga up through the end of the Hagoromo Gitsune arc.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter One:<strong>

"_Take care, Yura. Curb that impulsiveness of yours before the next battle."_

"_I don't want to hear that from the fool who tried to go up against Seimei when he had a gaping hole in his gut!"_

Those were the parting words they had exchanged before Nura Rikuo, with a confident grin on his features, boarded the youkai ship, Takarabune, along with the rest of his clan and disappeared into Kyoto's night sky after the defeat of Hagoromo Gitsune.

Now, three months later, Keikain Yura found herself back in Ukiyoe Town running an errand. More specifically, she was back in the Nura House. Sitting on her heels, she took a deep breath to calm herself as she continued to wait in the supposedly empty room. She knew for a fact that she was surrounded, and it was hard not to be just a bit unnerved by the various youkai that were hiding in the shadows and just out of sight, curious to find out what her purpose was in their home. She supposed it couldn't be helped. She was an onmyouji after all, their natural enemy.

"Are you nervous, Yura-chan?" came a chirpy voice from beside her.

Yura twisted her lips before quietly voicing her complaint to her ancestor-turned-shikigami. "I didn't want to come here. I should be training!"

"You're far too serious, Yura-chan," Hidemoto sighed. "You should try to enjoy life a little. Besides," he added with an almost mischievous smile, "there's more to training than just shooting at targets."

Before Yura could respond, the shoji screen slid open, revealing the red-eyed and long-maned Rikuo of the night. "Yo, Yura. Didn't think I'd see you again so soon," he said as he entered the room, taking a seat on the empty cushion across from her.

"Nura-kun," she greeted with a smile, the groups of youkai slinking around in the peripheral areas now forgotten.

"You're looking well, Rikuo-chan!" Hidemoto put in.

The boy blinked at that statement before recalling how he was still all wrapped up in bandages when they last parted ways. "Ah. It would be a problem if I still haven't healed up by now. So," he said as he looked at his guests in turn, "what can I do for you?"

"I came to deliver this," the onmyouji said as she slid a long object wrapped in a cloth across the tatami mat over to him.

Upon unwrapping the cloth, Rikuo raised his brows. "Is this…the spirit blade?"

"Yes. Crafted by Akifusa nii-chan himself," she said as Rikuo marveled at the katana in his hand. "And…well…Hidemoto can explain the rest," she finished…since the reason why she had to come was because Hidemoto kept pestering her about wanting to personally explain all of its qualities to its intended owner.

"That I will!" the shikigami exclaimed, making his way over to Rikuo's side, excited as a child in a candy store.

Yura simply watched as her ancestor explained away. In the end, it wasn't all that complicated, nor did it take that long. She didn't get why he couldn't just let someone else come and do it in his stead.

"You have my thanks," Rikuo said, genuinely pleased and grateful for the favor as he rose to his feet. "Yura," he called to the girl, a gleam in his eyes. "Come with me for a minute."

"Eh?" She looked to Hidemoto, who merely gave a shrug, then back to Rikuo, who had by now already stepped out. With slight panic, she jumped to her feet to give chase, Hidemoto in tow. "Nura-kun! Wait!"

He led her out into the gardens where he unsheathed his new blade and held it at the ready, pointing it at her. "Let's have a match…you and me."

"What?" She wasn't sure if she heard him correctly.

"I want to test this thing out," he explained.

"Uh…Rikuo-chan," Hidemoto waved a hand. "Might I remind you that it's a spirit blade that _doesn't_ cut humans?"

"Ah," the boy replied, unperturbed, as he gave the weapon a test swing. "That's fine, since I should probably give Yura a handicap."

"A handicap?" Yura switched from her mellow mode to high strung mode in the blink of an eye. That insult coupled with the smug grin on his face really lit her fuse. So, with practiced speed, she called upon _all_ the shikigami she had at her disposal.

Rikuo's eye twitched minutely as he stared at the small army of shikigami that now filled the garden. Sure, he had meant to goad her into fighting…and was proud to think that it worked rather well. However, he had forgotten how scary she could be when she was furious. "Oi, oi… That's overdoing it a bit, isn't it?"

Yura only held up her arm with Rentei aimed directly at him, a serious look in her eyes.

To that, Rikuo responded with a smirk as he tapped his blade against his shoulder. "You just love pointing that squirt gun at me, don't you?"

"It's a water cannon, you jerk!" She fired, and their match began.

"I'll just sit this one out, Yura-chan," Hidemoto announced as he made his way cheerfully back over to the veranda where a group of spectators had already began to gather, including, of course, his favorite ayakashi of all time. "Well? What do you think, Nura-chan? My master's impressive, isn't she?"

Nurarihyon studied the match with a critical eye. "It'll probably take about three months…by early spring at the latest."

Hidemoto smiled with sincerity. "Allow me to thank you in advance."

* * *

><p>After their match, where Yura basically chased after Rikuo's elusive form until she ran out of breath, the onmyouji was led to another room where Nurarihyon and Hidemoto dropped an unexpected bomb on her. "Wh…what did you just say?"<p>

"I said…you'll be staying here for a while to train with Nura-chan," Hidemoto repeated.

"Eh?" She shot to her feet and was confused to say the least. "I never heard anything about this… Who decided something like this?"

"We did," the shikigami happily supplied as he pointed to himself and Nurarihyon.

"Wh…when did this happen?" Her brain was slowly going into shock.

"Mmm…about three months ago, before everyone came back from Kyoto."

"Bu…but…" This made absolutely no sense to her. An onmyouji training under a youkai? Wasn't that backwards if not altogether sacrilegious?

"Oh, by the way, everyone at the main house already knows you won't be going back for a while," Hidemoto supplied helpfully.

"Huh? You mean everyone already knows?" How come she didn't know? "What about Ryuuji nii-chan?" There was no way her brother would allow this to happen.

"He said since members of the Nura Clan ate up all of our food while they stayed at our house, you should eat up all of their food while you're here."

"YOU MEAN HE'S FINE WITH THIS?" Did pigs learn to fly? Yura was now beyond shocked. She wasn't sure what to think. So, they tricked her into coming here?

"Yura," the former supreme commander said, finally deciding it was time for him to step in. "Didn't you once tell me that your goal was to defeat Nurarihyon?"

"Ojii-chan…" Yura looked at the old man, uncertain. "But…that was before…"

"Only now," Nurarihyon continued, "instead of it being the crowning achievement you had once imagined, it will merely be the first step…because if you want to stand a chance against Seimei, you better at least be able to surpass this old man."

Her eyes widened as though suddenly enlightened about a point she had never considered. He was right.

Nurarihyon smirked, seeing the look of determination returning to her eyes. "So, until that happens…you will _not_ be leaving this place."

With creased brows, she gave a firm nod. "I understand."

That was how Keikain Yura came to stay with the Nura Clan.

* * *

><p>She took a breath of the crisp night air as she walked along the veranda, feeling refreshed after a nice bath at the end of a long day. A week had passed since Yura came to the Nura House, and her training was actually turning out to be more educational than she had originally thought. She was getting insight into the powers of youkai from a youkai's point of view. With Hidemoto giving her pointers here and there, she would try to figure out how to improve her onmyoujutsu in order to defeat Nurarihyon. Having to spar with some of the others as well, it was giving her a better feel for how various higher level youkai made use of their 'fear' in different ways. It was definitely different, and she couldn't help but wonder if any other onmyouji had ever trained in this manner or if she was the only one.<p>

Turning a corner, she spotted Rikuo sitting along the edge of the veranda, watching the moon with a sakazuki in hand and a bottle of sake by his side. "Nura-kun…"

He turned to the sound of his name, acknowledging her presence with a smirk. "Enjoying your stay so far?" He could see bandages wrapped around various parts of her limbs, and she did look a bit exhausted.

She sat down with her legs dangling off the edge of the veranda as she gave that question some thought. "It's…weird. An onmyouji being in a youkai's home…learning from someone who's supposed to be an enemy…" She was still trying to wrap her mind around that concept.

"Are you uncomfortable here?" he inquired, his tone casual as he took another sip of his sake.

"Not really." She was surprised how easily that answer came to her. It was a bit touch and go in the beginning, but the tension in the atmosphere seemed to have dissipated after a few days and most have accepted her presence in this place.

"Heh?" His grin turned mischievous. "Are you sure it's wise to think that? If you let your guard down too much, someone here might eat you."

To that, she simply smiled and called his bluff, "I trust you, Nura-kun." Sure, there were still those in the clan who were wary of her and a few who were against her being here, but she knew Rikuo well enough to know that he wouldn't let anything happen to her. He was just that kind of person.

The young head of the Nura Clan looked at the girl, contemplative. He could still remember the way she had said she believed him when she had defended his human form against her own brother despite her own doubts. She had displayed that trust again, that very same night, when he had revealed to her the truth about himself. For someone who had been brought up to hate his kind, that trust meant a great deal and carried a lot of weight.

Yura frowned slightly at his stare. "What?"

Instead of answering, he picked up the sake bottle beside him. "Want a drink?"

She didn't make a move, mutely telling him that he was asking something stupid since she was underage.

"No? Something else then?" He reached inside his sleeve and pulled out the senbei Kejourou had given him earlier. Holding it out on his opened palm, he clicked his tongue as though he were trying to coax a squirrel to come. "Here, Yura…come here, Yura."

Said girl puffed out her cheeks as her frown deepened. "I'm not some kind of small animal!" Annoyed, she got up and took her leave.

He watched her stomp off with a smirk on his lips. "Nurari…kurari…"

As he returned to his moon watching, he began to think that teasing her was becoming rather addictive.

* * *

><p>Ever since that night, the routine was Yura would train during the day while Rikuo went to school. Evening schedules were less rigid. Sometimes Rikuo would go on patrol, other times there would be clan meetings to attend to. At times Yura would do independent onmyoujutsu studies, other times she would help out with the chores. Every now and then, Rikuo and Yura would have another sparring match. Every now and again, someone would find some reason to call for a celebration simply because they wanted to break out the sake and let loose, turning an entire evening into complete chaos filled with merriment. But regardless of what activities would take place during the day, Rikuo and Yura would always come together at the end of the night just to talk. She would pick a place somewhere, be it on the veranda or in the gardens, and he would always come find her.<p>

Tonight was no different, and he found her sitting by the pond after making his escape from the impromptu celebration held in honor of Kappa's webbed hands. "Had enough?"

Yura glanced up at him with a bit of a resigned smile. "You people sure are lively." She couldn't keep up anymore.

He smirked. "A bit different from what you're used to, huh?"

"But…it's not a bad thing," she noted as she leaned back on her hands, the smile still on her features.

He raised his brows slightly to that. "You seem to be handling your 'gray' existence here pretty well," he said, using her brother's favorite terminology.

That made Yura frown. It was something she tried not to think about. "…it's confusing," she finally managed to utter. "Youkai are absolute evil…" she continued with a far off look in her eyes. "They are black…you are white…" These were things that had been drilled into her head since as far back as she could remember. She had always moved forward with those strong beliefs in mind. However, these days…she found herself unsure.

"Guess you have it harder than I did when I rejected youkai," he commented after a moment of consideration.

"Heh?" But wasn't he a youkai, even if only in part?

"Then again," he continued almost offhandedly as he folded his arms, "I was never fed garbage like humans are white and youkai are black."

"It's not garbage!" she found herself defending automatically. It was hard not to when he was obviously giving her attitude.

"Maybe not, but it's elementary level onmyouji teachings at best." It was far too…simplified.

That mocking tone of his was beginning to dig under her skin, so she got to her feet to give him a piece of her mind. However, before she could even stand up straight, he had taken hold of her upper arm with one hand, whistled really loud with the other, and then leaped up onto something, yanking her along with him. When she finally regained her bearings, she realized they were now sitting on the back of his snake youkai, Hebi Nyoro, and gaining altitude. Fast.

Out of instinct and the need for self preservation, she wrapped her arms around his torso, attaching herself to his back. "Where are you taking me?" she exclaimed, trying to compete with the wind.

"You'll see when we get there," he replied smoothly and unconcerned.

"That's not an answer!"

"Don't worry." She could hear the smirk in his voice. "It'll be fine."

* * *

><p>"Welcome to Bakenekoya!"<p>

Standing beside Rikuo at the entrance of the bustling eatery, Yura dropped her jaws, stupefied, as a group of cat youkai greeted them with enthusiasm. So in the end, they had basically walked out of one party just to go straight into another one. What the heck were they doing here?

"Waka!" Ryouta Neko stepped up, beaming at Rikuo. "It's an honor to have you here again!"

Distracted by her surroundings, Yura failed to notice when one of the cat youkai leaned forward, putting his face right in front of hers to examine her features. "I see you brought another friend with you," he stated, noting that she's not the same girl as last time. "What kind of youkai is she?"

Yura gasped when she suddenly realized there was now an unknown cat-eared youkai about an inch away from her face. Startled, she whipped out a human-shaped piece of paper without second thought and held it up, about to summon a shikigami.

That was when Rikuo stepped behind her, catching her wrist with one hand and covering her mouth with the other, preventing the summons. She really was impulsive. "Careful there, Saburou Neko," he warned, grinning at the cat youkai who was now backing away. "This one can be dangerous."

Saburou was no expert, but neither was he an ignorant fool. He knew full well what it was that the girl was holding in her hand. "On…onmyouji…" he stammered, a bit stunned.

"Onmyouji?" Ryota repeated thoughtfully. "Waka…might this be the one who fought with you in Kyoto?"

"Ah," Rikuo affirmed simply as he released his hold on said onmyouji who had by now somewhat regained her composure but was not entirely pleased about being manhandled.

If the two of them didn't already have everyone's attention before, they most certainly had it now as others began to chime in…

"Kyoto? You mean the fight with Hagoromo Gitsune?"

"I heard all about it."

"I was there!"

"So, that little thing's supposed to be that one powerful onmyouji? You're kidding!"

"She can use that Harpoon or whatever."

"It's Hagun, you idiot!"

"How did Rikuo-sama convince an onmyouji to be his ally?"

"He's amazing! But who'd ever thought she'd be so puny?"

Yura tried not to be intimidated or annoyed by all the chatter as they were being led to their table. "Why are we here?" she asked under her breath, unable to keep the agitation from seeping into her voice.

"I thought you could try something different," Rikuo replied as he settled into his seat and made himself comfortable, seemingly unconcerned by her distress. "The house specialty here is good," he added as an afterthought.

She huffed a silent breath. He wasn't going to give her a straight answer, and it didn't look like he was going to leave anytime soon. Reluctantly, she joined him at the table. She felt out of place here, and, truth be told, she'd rather be sleeping since she had to get up early the next day.

Before long, Saburou returned with sake for the young master and a glass of the aforementioned house special for the girl. "Sorry for the wait! Please enjoy!"

Yura stared at the drink before her. "What is it?"

"Catnip Cocktail!" Saburou proudly supplied. "It's our best seller!"

"It won't kill you," Rikuo added, amused by her hesitation.

"That's not the issue!" She was just skeptical. How can a concoction made by a cat using a cat's favorite plant be appetizing? Would it not be like eating cat food? Tentatively, she took a sip. "...it's really good…" she said with disbelief.

Saburou grinned from ear to ear. "Isn't that what I said? Please wait and I'll come back with snacks!"

About three Catnip Cocktails later, Yura finally began to relax. They had a busy night at their table. Between all the waiters who came to serve, the comrades and adoring clan members who stopped by to pay their respects to their young master, the women who were vying for his attention, and the curious who wanted to see her for themselves, the number of people she met that night was countless.

Among them was Shouei. His height alone was intimidating, and he had broad shoulders and multi-colored hair that could pass him off as a menacing street thug. Nonetheless, he was actually rather mild mannered and soft spoken to the point of almost being gentle.

Then there was Jami, a youkai she recalled seeing during the Kyoto incident but had never spoken to until this night. She heard his story, learned of his devotion to his human master from ages long gone, and found out how he had met Rikuo while trying to protect that master's descendant from a corrupted onmyouji.

And, of course, there was Saburou Neko, a waiter who was trying to earn a living working at this eatery…just like any other person.

The evening had left Yura with much to ponder upon.

* * *

><p>The ride back home was a lot smoother, and the young onmyouji had by now found her balance atop the snake youkai. Sitting while facing backwards with her back up against Rikuo's for support and her arms wrapped loosely around her knees, she watched the hypnotic swaying of Hebi Nyoro's tail as they glided through the night sky. "I'm tired," she finally admitted after trying unsuccessfully to stifle a yawn.<p>

Rikuo looked over his shoulder with a small smirk. "It wasn't so bad, was it?"

With eyes still on the mesmerizing snake tail, Yura gave that question some consideration before giving her reply. "No…I'm glad I went." She looked out to the horizon, then turned her contemplative eyes up to the stars. "Hey, Nura-kun."

"Hm?"

"…the world's a pretty big place, isn't it?"

He smiled at her question. "Ah."

* * *

><p>"Not bad, Yura." The old ayakashi chuckled as the onmyouji girl released him from her binding spell and the scripture that had been wound tightly around his body began to recede. "Not bad at all."<p>

Yura collapsed to her hands and knees with fatigue. She finally did it. After nearly four months, she had finally defeated Nurarihyon by immobilizing him with a spell she had developed during her time here.

To be able to capture the youkai known to be evasive was no small feat, and Nurarihyon was proud of the child's accomplishment. The fact that the method she had devised to defeat him was one that inflicted the least damage to his body did not escape his notice either. "Well, since it's your win, I guess that means you can go back to Kyoto now."

The girl looked up at him before averting her eyes and giving a small nod.

The former supreme commander raised a brow at that rather deflated reaction. It certainly was a far cry from the enthusiastic victorious leap for joy he was expecting. "What seems to be the trouble?"

"Ojii-chan…" Yura began, wondering how best to explain herself. "I…ever since I met Nura-kun…I've started to see things differently." Her views on youkai were changing. "…I'm not really sure what it means."

He considered her for a moment. "Do you regret meeting my idiot grandson?"

Yura shook her head. "No." She could say at least that much with certainty.

"I see. So, this is a good change then, no?"

"…I don't know." Things were so much easier before. More clear cut. Youkai: destroy. Humans: protect. Now, things were beginning to blur, and she couldn't tell where the line was anymore. "It's becoming hard to distinguish who is the enemy." If she can't get it straight in her head, she felt she might make a mistake when the critical time comes.

The old man heaved a quiet sigh. "You're thinking too hard about this, Yura. Have more faith in yourself." She had good judgment and, despite what she thought, he had seen her display the ability to discern between right and wrong, good and evil, many times. He believed her heart understood. Her conscious mind simply needed to catch up.

The girl pondered a moment before asking a question that had been on her mind for quite some time. "Ojii-chan, why did you decide to live among humans?" Hidemoto had mentioned to her before about Nurarihyon and his desire for coexistence. He was probably the best person to speak to about this subject.

"It's more interesting this way," he replied as though that was the easiest question in the world.

She cocked her head slightly to one side, not entirely satisfied by that all too vague answer. "Did you marry a human to prove that it was possible for humans and youkai to be together?"

He laughed at her frank and innocent question, and he thought it deserved an equally frank reply. "No. I did it because I loved her."

"But…isn't it lonely?" He had already outlived her by centuries after all.

To that, he simply responded with a faint wistful smile but offered no words. "When do you intend to leave for Kyoto?" he inquired instead.

Her brows creased slightly as her mind switched gears. "As soon as possible." There was no time to waste. It was already spring. Summer was around the corner, marking the end of the one year grace period Hidemoto had estimated before Seimei would make his return, which meant she could have as little as a few months left to complete her training.

He gave a nod. He had figured as much. "Very well."

"Thank you, Ojii-chan, for taking care of me," Yura said as she bowed her head with respect.

Nurarihyon smiled to himself as he looked upon the human child he had taken under his wing. "Come back whenever you like, Yura. You're always welcome amongst the Nura Clan."

* * *

><p>"You're in my spot," Rikuo accused blandly after leaping up into the weeping cherry tree to find his favorite seat taken.<p>

Yura brushed that accusation off with a serene smile. "Now I know why you like sitting here so much," she commented as she leaned back into the inviting tree trunk, not about to move. It was comfortable, and the view was breathtaking. "I'm leaving tonight," she announced after a short pause.

He blinked, taken a bit off guard, before his lips curled up in a smirk. "Hehhh? So, you finally beat the old man, huh?" he said, sounding somewhat impressed while he tried to make himself comfortable on his branch.

"I've already said my goodbyes to everyone else," she continued. He was the last. She scanned her surroundings with her eyes. "It's strange, but…I think I'll miss it here."

He spared her a glance from the corner of his eyes. "You can stay longer if it suits you."

"Don't be crazy," she said, her eyes looking out into the distance, her voice tinged with a certain level of regret. "I'm an onmyouji. It's impossible for me to learn everything I need to know here." Besides, she knew he was going out of his way to help her, taking time out of his schedule to spar with her, and not focusing on his own training as much as he should. She didn't want to hinder him.

"So, Yura."

"Hm?"

"Do you still hate youkai?"

The unexpected question that came so suddenly out of nowhere made her turn to him. Her lips parted, but she faltered. In that moment, she couldn't help but wonder how that once simple question somehow became complicated.

Rikuo held her chin with one hand to prevent her from turning away as he studied her face, eyes sparkling as though he had bested her somehow. "You hesitated," he noted smugly. "That's a good start."

Her face flushed as she puffed out her cheeks with annoyance. Then she extended her leg and kicked him off his perch, dropping him unceremoniously into the pond below.

Seconds later, the boy resurfaced with a death glare already in place. "Oi!" He was not happy.

"That's payback for last time," she explained with an evil grin, referring to the time he had kicked _her_ out of the tree. "So? How do you like it?" He did say he'd be looking forward to it back then.

He smirked as he folded his arms. "It lacks originality."

Before he even finished speaking, Yura followed up with another blast of water from Rentei. "How's that?"

The boy spit water out of his mouth and swiped a hand down his face, looking rather ridiculous standing waist deep in the pond, completely drenched, as he tried to control his temper. _Again with the squirt gun…_

"Thank you, Nura-kun."

"For what?" he replied automatically while preoccupied with the task of getting back to dry land, sounding agitated.

"…many things," she said softly. There really were many things, and it was difficult for her to put it into words all at once.

Though he hadn't quite made it to shore yet, what she was saying finally sank in and made him look up. She was giving him that utterly gentle and sincere smile of hers, and suddenly he forgot that this girl had just kicked him out of a tree in his own backyard. "Yura…if you ever need anything, let me know. I'll come."

She nodded, knowing that he meant every word. "Mm."

Silence dominated the following moments as he held her eyes with his, trying to think of what he should say next. "Yura—"

"Goodbye, Nura-kun," she said, cutting him off. Then she summoned Tanrou and hopped onto its back, swiping up the bag of meager belongings she had left dangling from one of the branches. At her command, the shikigami jumped out of the tree and they made their swift and quiet exit.

Rikuo ran a contemplative hand across the moon's reflection on the water's surface, a small smirk adorning his features. "…nurari…kurari…"

* * *

><p>AN: I didn't really like the first season of the Nurarihyon no Mago anime much, but the 2nd season compelled me to read the manga, after which I thought, "wow, how did I overlook this series for so long?" Haha. I'm kinda surprised how small the fandom is, and interest in Rikuo/Yura is even smaller…

I would have liked this fic to be a more in-depth multi-chaptered story, but due to my lack of free time, it needs to be a shorter/quick project, otherwise it'll never get done. (As it stands, I already have 2 other multi-chaptered stories I've been _trying_ to piece together for over a year now. Bleh.) I couldn't condense it enough to be a one-shot, though. So, in the end, it's something like a streamlined version multi-chaptered story. Not sure how well it'll work out. Heh…

To be honest, I haven't quite figured out how "nurarikurari" works in a sentence. My Japanese is not that great. I think it's like an adverb. Well, in any case, mixing Japanese into an English sentence doesn't always work anyway. If it's not a noun, it's really odd. But, since I'm rather hung up on using 'nurarikurari', whenever it gets used in this story, it'll always be a standalone expression. Does that make sense?

Mini glossary, just in case:

youkai – demons, monsters, supernatural beings

ayakashi – same as youkai

onmyouji – specialists who use spiritual powers to fight/exorcise youkai

onmyoujutsu – onmyouji techniques

shikigami – a spirit/familiar summoned by an onmyouji

ojii-chan – grandpa

nii-chan – older brother

waka – young master

sakazuki – flat saucer-like cup for drinking sake, used mostly during ceremonies

senbei – rice cracker

Hope you liked the first chapter!

Many thanks for reading! Reviews much appreciated!


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Nurarihyon no Mago is the property of Shiibashi Hiroshi.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Two:<strong>

The next time Rikuo and Yura met was on the battlefield in the struggle against Abe no Seimei. Though Hidemoto had estimated his return to happen one year after his retreat to hell at the earliest, in actuality, Seimei did not return until three years later. By then, both Rikuo and Yura were sixteen years old.

The location, once again, was Kyoto, and the Nura Clan made their way there as soon as things started happening. The heavy youkai aura that shrouded the entire city was like a beacon, calling all interested ayakashi to the area to witness Seimei's return…his rebirth.

The struggle did not last long, but the fact that such a degree of destruction could be caused in such a short amount of time was what made it all the more frightening. Buildings were laid to waste. The city was enveloped in darkness despite it being midday. Countless warriors from both sides went down…many for good. And located at the heart of the city, almost like a centerpiece, was a gigantic portal to hell with youkai and humans alike being sucked into it indiscriminately. The chaos was much like how it was during the Hagoromo Gitsune incident, only magnified many times over.

With an ofuda in hand, Yura prepared to summon yet another shikigami.

"Yura, stop!" Rikuo hollered.

Her lips twisted with frustration. "Concentrate on what _you're_ doing!" He already had his hands full. How did he even see that?

"I _would_ if I didn't have to worry about you doing something stupid!" he managed to say between dodges and swings of his blade.

The onmyouji gritted her teeth then grudgingly put her ofuda away. "Fine! Just…concentrate!" She understood what he was trying to get at. She needed to conserve what energy she had left and wait for her window of opportunity.

Currently, they were fighting Seimei two against one, Rikuo taking the brunt of it while Yura provided support using three of the twelve shikigami that were now at her disposal. Though they were both running low on their energy reserve, it was obvious that they were wearing their opponent down as well. With their goal in sight, Yura had to remind herself to be patient and not jump the gun.

Unlike last time, where they both made their way independently to Hagoromo Gitsune and just _hoped_ the other would get there in one piece as well, this time they played it safer…if only by just a bit. The moment Keikain Ryuuji caught sight of Rikuo in the midst of all the mayhem, he pretty much threw his sister at him:

"_Oi!" the young head of the Nura Clan protested as he steadied the screaming onmyouji girl that had just barreled into him. "What was that—"_

"_Take her with you," Ryuuji said without giving Rikuo the chance to complain, his tone condescending as usual. "Don't get separated, and don't let her die. You're not going to beat that thing otherwise."_

_While Ryuuji was a professional liar, Rikuo could detect no deception this time around. The 'don't let her die' part in particular came with a lot of unspoken and decidedly painful promises should Rikuo allow any harm to come to the girl._

"_Ryuuji nii-chan…" Yura said, a bit stunned._

"_Yura, we'll get a barrier up to keep the masses out while you two take care of the Nue," Ryuuji continued. "Don't screw up."_

_Rikuo and Yura shared a glance. Then, without another word, Rikuo locked his hand firmly around Yura's wrist and ran, taking her with him._

_Along the way, they passed by many others, each providing words of support in their own way._

_Kurotabou: "Go on. We'll hold off the rest."_

_Aotabou: "Don't worry. We've got you covered!"_

_Tsurara: "I'll leave Rikuo-sama to you this time, onmyouji girl! If I find one hair missing from his head later, I'll turn you into an ice cube!"_

_Itaku: "Rikuo, I still won't exchange sakazuki with you, but you're definitely buying me sake when this is over."_

_Awashima: "Kick that bastard's sorry ass!"_

_Gyuuki: "Show the world you're worthy of the positions you've inherited."_

Yura took a deep breath to refocus her mind. Everyone had placed their faith in Rikuo and herself to win this war, so it was their duty to see it through. However, it seemed her willpower had finally lost out to her exhaustion when she failed to notice an attack that was aimed at her until Rikuo called out her name.

It was too late. She didn't have time to dodge. That was when Rikuo shoved her out of the way and took the hit for her as Seimei's arm went clear through his abdomen.

Her eyes went wide with shock. "Nura-kun!"

Ignoring the stars before his eyes and the blood in his mouth, Rikuo latched onto Seimei's arm with a death grip. "Now, Yura!"

She did not need to be told twice. Recalling her three shikigami, she then summoned the Hagun. As her binding spell took hold of Seimei, Rikuo took the opportunity to slice off their enemy's arm and extract the limb from himself. Then, with the Hagun-enhanced Yomi Okuri Yura Max technique, the onmyouji blasted a hole through Seimei's chest. Rikuo followed up by pulling out his sakazuki. His breath rippling across the sake's surface ignited blue flames upon their opponent's body, eventually burning it down to ashes, ensuring his end.

Rikuo staggered back against a wall, one hand on the wound in his abdomen. Sliding down to a sitting position, he slipped into unconsciousness.

"Nura-kun!" Yura rushed to his side in an instant. Frantically trying to shake him awake, she called his name repeatedly. "Nura-kun! Nura-kun!"

By now, she was in tears. She didn't want to lose him. This person…who had saved her life many times over. This person…who had changed her and made her a better person. This person…who would tease her relentlessly every chance he got. This person…who had somehow become more important to her than she ever realized. She fisted her hands in her hair, feeling helpless. "Rikuo!"

Then he suddenly reached out with his arm. Placing his hand on the back of her head, he pulled the girl to him.

Yura gasped with surprise as she found herself leaning against his chest. A second wave of tears consumed her, and she cried with relief. She wrapped her arms around him, succumbing to the need to feel the rise and fall of his chest, the need to know that he was alive. "What the heck were you thinking? How dare you push me out of the way like that!"

"I was thinking…as puny and underfed as you are…you probably won't be able to take that hit," he rasped, his voice weak though still cocky as ever.

"Shut up! I'm not puny! I'm the next head of the Keikain family! Show some respect, damn you!"

"I do respect you," he said between labored breaths. "You're the only person I know of…who mixes receipts and coupons into her attacks. It's quite a spectacle."

"Stop mocking me! That only happened a couple of times! You're the worst!"

Though she was berating, she was holding on to him fiercely, and he soothed her as best he could by running his hand through her hair repeatedly. Despite his condition, Rikuo could only smile and relish in the moment.

* * *

><p>He opened his eyes. As he tried to blink the grogginess of sleep away, he could see someone hovering over him. "…Zen?"<p>

"Oh, Rikuo." The bird youkai spared him a glance as he continued with his task of replacing the bandages around the boy's arm. "Finally awake, are you?"

"Rikuo-sama!" His faithful attendant was by his side, kneeling beside his futon as soon as she heard his voice. "How are you feeling?" she asked worriedly as she used a towel to wipe his face.

In truth, he felt like crap, but… "I'm fine, Tsurara." He tried to sit up, and she helped him with the task. He looked at the room they were in. "Where…?"

"Main house of the Keikain family," Zen supplied as he motioned for his patient to let him examine his other arm. He had treated Rikuo right where they found him on the battlefield, and he had lost consciousness before they could relocate him.

"How long was I asleep?" Rikuo asked, holding out his arm as requested. Judging by his own youkai appearance, he assumed it was nighttime.

"About a day."

"How is everyone?" His Hyakki Yakou…did they make it through all right?

"Some are pretty banged up, but you just leave that to me," Zen assured, returning the arm to Rikuo, satisfied it would heal properly. Of course, not everyone survived, but the details on that can be discussed at a later time.

"What about Yura?"

"She's relatively unscathed," Zen said before putting on a teasing grin. "Seems like you did something pretty stupid to keep her that way."

Rikuo frowned. "Like you'd know."

"Well, she _was_ yelling at you pretty loud about it when we found you two," the bird youkai reminded before breaking out into a hearty laugh at his sworn brother's expense.

Rikuo twisted his lips. Right. He had forgotten about that part.

"I don't know what's funnier," Zen continued. "You getting yelled at by that tiny thing…or you half dead and smiling like an idiot while she did it!"

Rikuo gave Zen a dull look as the latter resumed laughing. "Calm down, Zen, before you—"

That was when the bird youkai's laughter turned into hacking until he finally coughed up blood.

"Zen-sama!" Tsurara exclaimed, rushing to his side to rub his back and help alleviate his condition.

The young head of the Nura Clan sighed. "…too late."

Then a knock came at the door, and Tsurara went to get it. "Yura-chan…"

"Tsurara-chan…um…is Rikuo awake?" the onmyouji, holding a tray with a cup of something on it, asked as she tried to see past the snow maiden into the room.

Tsurara's eye twitched minutely. That casual 'Rikuo' was like an arrow to her heart. "Yes, he just woke up. Want to see him?"

She did, but…first things first. "Um…" Yura fidgeted a bit, her eyes downcast. "I'm sorry, Tsurara-chan…I wasn't able to do what you asked."

The snow maiden quirked a brow, confused. "What're you talking about?"

Yura was finding it hard to look the other girl in the eye. "Well…you said that…if you find one hair missing from his head…"

"…then I'd turn you into an ice cube," Tsurara finished, the memory coming back to her now. "That's right…I _did_ say that, didn't I?"

The stretch of silence that followed made Yura wish that she could disintegrate and disappear.

Then Tsurara simply shrugged. "Well, it's not like it was the _first_ time I ever said that to you."

Yura blinked. "Huh? Well…but…" She had failed at her task rather incredibly. There was definitely a _lot_ more than just hair missing from the guy…like gallons of blood, for instance.

"Remember that time you wouldn't sit still for me to treat your wounds after your sparring session with Kuro, and I said I'd turn you into an ice cube?" Tsurara continued.

"You wanted to freeze the huge gash in my thigh to stop the bleeding," Yura reminisced, recalling the ice maiden's version of alternative medicine. "Who wouldn't run?"

"And that time when you put a hole in Rikuo-sama's clothes when you were hindering—"

"Helping," Yura corrected dryly.

"…with my laundry chores, and I said I'd turn you into an ice cube?" Her eyes rolled from left to right as she searched her memory for more examples. "Oh, and that time when you broke Kejourou's favorite teacup while doing the dishes, and—"

"That was Wakana-san!" Yura protested, her spirit finally returning.

Tsurara blinked then brought her sleeve to her lips in thought. "Oh, you're right! Well, you get the idea."

Yura sighed. "Yes…thank you." She was glad to be forgiven, though she still felt responsible.

With a tilt of her head, Tsurara heaved a small sigh of her own as she observed the human girl she had come to consider as a close friend. "Zen-sama said Rikuo-sama will make a full recovery in no time," she offered. "Something like this won't keep him down for long, you know. Now, come on, onmyouji girl. I'm not going to hold this door for you all day," she said as she stepped aside.

With a nod and a smile of gratitude, Yura entered the room.

"Oh, speak of the devil," Zen said under his breath with a grin when he caught sight of the visitor. "Rikuo. Stay in bed and don't move around so much," he instructed as he got to his feet. "I'll come and check on you again in the morning. Come on, Yuki Onna." He placed an arm on Tsurara's shoulder and guided her back towards the door.

"Eh? But…" Tsurara glanced back at her master and tried not to let her disappointment show as she was being ushered out of the room. It wasn't like she never noticed the difference in her master's behavior whenever the onmyouji girl was involved. He saved all his teasing words for her. He would argue with her about things unimportant and look like he was enjoying himself. His most animated smiles and frowns could only be seen while in her company…something that stood out more in his night form when he tended to keep his emotions more reserved.

Whether the two of them realized it or not, Tsurara had known for a while now that Rikuo treated Yura differently, and that Yura had an effect on him that cannot be duplicated by anyone else. What she saw on the battlefield the day before had only confirmed her thoughts. In her distress, Yura had held on to Rikuo like her life depended on it, and it wasn't until Zen showed up that they were able to get her to detach herself. And the tenderness in Rikuo's expression as he embraced the girl was enough to make Tsurara's heart ache.

Then a comforting hand atop of her head brought Tsurara back to the here and now, and she looked up to find Zen looking down at her with an understanding smile. She took a deep breath and let it out. "Guess there's no helping it," she said quietly, disheartened even though she put on a smile. " Maybe…next generation."

Zen chuckled, patting the top of her head. "That's the spirit!"

Yura sat on her heels beside the futon as the door closed behind Zen and Tsurara, setting the tray on the floor beside her.

Rikuo eyed the steaming cup on the tray but said nothing.

"It's herbal medicine that's been passed down in the Keikain family for centuries," she said, answering his unasked question as she held the cup out to him. "It'll help you heal faster."

He accepted the proffered cup, took a tentative sniff, and backed away, wrinkling his nose. "I don't need it," he said flatly. "I have youkai blood in me." That should get him healing plenty fast enough.

"Three quarters of you is human, right?" she retorted, matching the flatness of his voice. "That part of you might appreciate it."

Rikuo frowned. Zen would probably get mad at him for taking someone else's treatment, but, to appease Yura, he gulped it down…and gagged. He was about to say something smart when he caught her staring at the bandages wrapped around his torso with a guilty look in her eyes. "Don't worry about it," he told her. "I heal faster than most. What's been going on while I was asleep?" he asked, changing the subject.

She gave a light laugh at that, shaking her head. "Do you really need me to tell you? What do _you_ think?"

He blinked…then the answer came to him. What would his men do at a time like this? Party, eat, and drink themselves silly, of course. "Ryuuji must be ecstatic," he said with a sly grin. He could picture that guy's look of displeasure in his mind's eye.

"I don't mind it, though. I kind of miss that energy," she said with a small smile, thinking back to the days she spent with the Nura Clan.

"You've gotten taller," he said after a short span of silence. It was something he had taken note of when they first reunited on the battlefield…the fact that she had not just gotten taller but transformed from a girl into a young woman. He just didn't have the luxury to mention it at the time since they had been rather busy fighting for their lives.

"It happens," she said with another laugh. "So have you. Well…your human form anyway." With Zen's permission, she had been in to see him earlier in the day when he was still asleep. It seemed like his human form was starting to catch up to his youkai form. His facial features sharpened, and he was closer in height. On the other hand, his youkai form looked about the same as she remembered.

"Guess I'm less like two different people now, huh?" he commented with a small smirk.

She shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. You never really seemed like two different people to me." Yes, his physical forms were different, and he expressed himself differently, but at the core, he was the same person.

He considered her briefly before breaking into a grin. "That's true. Both sides of me have the qualities of a charismatic leader."

She showed her appreciation to that statement with a snort. "More like both sides have idiotic tendencies, disguised as heroics."

He twisted his lips, but he wasn't done just yet. "Both sides can beat you at the game of Go," he said with a smug look.

She narrowed her eyes at him, silently cursing him for bringing that up. She was never any good at strategic board games and would always lose in less than three minutes. To this day, she still hadn't quite figured out how he had managed to trick her into playing…so many times. She folded her arms. "Both sides lose to me at Janken. Always."

Rikuo had to refrain from rolling his eyes. They used to use rock-paper-scissors to make decisions on various things, and, for whatever reason, Yura would always win. "That's just dumb luck. It doesn't involve any skill."

"Then I have better luck than you!" she huffed.

He watched her with amusement. Somehow, the comparison between his human and youkai forms became a comparison between him and her. "Both can easily get out of that one spell you developed," he said, continuing their game. "I forget what it's called…the Yura-Yura Super Binding Spell or whatever…something really long that only you'd come up with."

"It's the Darkness Suppression Yura Chain, you jerk!" If he wasn't already so bent out of shape, she would have hit him. "And of course your human form can get out if it! It doesn't even _work_ on humans!" She puffed out her cheeks, somehow feeling like a little kid again.

Rikuo smiled to himself, happy that they could still talk like they used to and the time they'd spent apart didn't dilute their friendship. He had been so focused on making preparations to face Seimei these past couple of years that he had never given this much thought, but now he realized how much he really missed those days they'd spent together.

"Oh, I almost forgot!" Yura exclaimed as she pulled a small book out of her pocket and passed it to him. "Here. I brought this for you. Zen-san said you should stay in bed, right?" She figured he'd probably end up bored to death if he didn't have something to occupy his time.

When he looked at the cover, his eye began to twitch. "Youkai Exorcism for Beginners: Pocket-Sized Version…" What the heck? Was she trying to harass him?

"It's…the only kind of books I have," she said sheepishly. Even though she had boxes and shelves filled with books, they were all about onmyoujutsu.

Why was he not surprised? "Well, you spent enough time studying up on all things youkai while you were at our place, so…I guess it doesn't hurt for me to learn a thing or two about onmyoujutsu," he said as he casually flipped through the pages.

"How long will you be staying in Kyoto?"

"We'll leave as soon as the injured are able. Probably another day or two." It wasn't wise to keep the bulk of his fighting force away from his home turf for too long, after all.

"I see," she said, her eyes downcast.

That expression compelled him to reach out his hand, latching gently onto her forearm. "Will you return to Ukiyoe Town?" Now that Seimei was no more, and it was not yet time for her to formally inherit leadership of her family, she should be able to go, shouldn't she?

"I…wish I could," she replied dejectedly, "but…I'm needed here. Half the city's in ruins. We have to reestablish order as quickly as possible and put various seals back into place before some opportunistic ayakashi decides to stir up new trouble."

Though disappointed, he supposed it was one of the things he liked about her…her dedication to her duty to protect the people. "How long will it take?"

Yura closed her eyes and shook her head. "I don't know."

"…will you ever return?"

She simply looked at him but did not answer. Then, with her free hand, she lightly brushed his bangs away from his eyes, carefully keeping her fingers from making contact with his skin, offering a caress that was just out of reach. When she spoke again, her voice was barely above a whisper. "Get some rest…Rikuo."

He watched as her arm slipped gently out of his hand, his eyes trailing after her until she had left. In the silence of the room, he heaved a quiet sigh. "…nurari…kurari…"

Two days later, the Nura Clan left Kyoto.

* * *

><p>AN: Poor Seimei. He didn't even get any lines or real moves. LOL! Would have liked to develop the action-y stuff a bit more, but it was one of the things that had to be streamlined away. Sorry, Seimei.

Tried to address Tsurara a bit. She and Yura address each other differently here from how they do it currently in cannon as a way to show that their friendship had progressed. Her reaction to Rikuo/Yura might seem a bit downplayed and mild, but basically she saw it coming and already had a couple of years to think about it. The 'next generation' comment references back to a conversation between Setsura and Youhime at the end of the Past Arc. It gets translated differently by different people. In one version, Setsura says "I'll snatch those (Nurarihyon's) lips from you no matter how many ages it takes." In another version, she says "No matter how many generations it takes, I'm going to steal his lips." Not sure which is the closer translation, but so far the trend does seem like every generation's Yuki Onna falls in love with that generation's Nurarihyon (or at least the one closest to her age since Tsurara is Setsura's daughter and Rikuo is Nurarihyon's grandson), so it made some sense to me.

Mini glossary, just in case:

Ofuda – the pieces of paper Yura uses for her spells and shikigami summoning, a talisman

Go – ancient board game that originated in China played using black and white pieces

Janken – short for jan-ken-pon, basically Rock Paper Scissors.

The amount of free time I have is kind of going away again, so next chapter will probably take longer. DX I am prioritizing this story, though, since I would like to wrap it up first.

Thanks for reading! Reviews much appreciated!


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Nurarihyon no Mago is the property of Shiibashi Hiroshi.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Three:<strong>

"Rikuo-kun!"

Hearing his name just as he entered the school gates, Rikuo looked over his shoulder to find his childhood friend running to catch up to him. "Morning, Kana-chan," he greeted with a small smile.

"So, how does it feel to be a senior now?" she asked conversationally, looking up at the boy who was much taller than herself now as she fell into step with him. It was their first day as high school seniors.

"Hm?" He looked up for inspiration. "Not much different than I did yesterday."

She frowned with slight disapproval. "Rikuo-kun, you should be more excited about it. This will be our last year in high school! Are you at least glad that the old gang's all back in the same class again?" Up till now, members of the Kiyojuuji Paranormal Investigation Squad had been split up into various smaller groups, attending different homerooms. However, by whatever stroke of luck, they all ended up back in the same class their senior year. "It's like a miracle, don't you think?"

"I guess it is," he agreed. "…we're missing one, though," he added absentmindedly.

"Hm? What did you say?"

He turned to her and widened the smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "Nothing."

Kana studied his features skeptically. It worried her that he seemed rather unenthusiastic about pretty much everything these days. Perhaps there was trouble at home? "Is everything alright? I mean…" She lowered her voice before continuing. "…with your clan and stuff?" As a result of an unfortunate event, Rikuo had more or less been forced to reveal his secret to her some time ago. It had been a shock for her to find out that the youkai she had been interested in at the time was in fact the oldest friend in her book.

She supposed she was just like any other teenage girl in that sense, developing crushes on the mysterious and dangerous. However, a teenage crush was a teenage crush, and it eventually wore off as such. It wouldn't have worked out anyway. She didn't like scary things and, even though she wasn't afraid of Rikuo by any means, the world of youkai that he was very much a part of wasn't something she could handle as a part of her daily life. To top it off, it wasn't just youkai…it was youkai _yakuza_. Her life would surely be shortened from all the stress and worry alone. That, however, didn't mean that she didn't care about him. They had known each other almost their entire lives after all.

"Yeah, as far as I know," he replied, the sound of his voice pulling her out of her reverie. "Why do you ask?" If possible, his smile stretched a bit farther.

Kana sighed, defeated. She wasn't going to get anything out of him. "No reason. As long as everything's fine."

They walked the rest of the way in silence.

As Rikuo sat at his desk waiting for first period to begin, he stared out the window and reflected on Kana's questions, a pen twirling between his fingers. He wasn't lying. In the past year or so since Seimei's defeat, things really had been rather quiet on the youkai front. Word about his role in the battle had spread quickly, boosting his reputation. His Hyakki Yakou expanded, the Nura Clan grew stronger, and would be troublemakers steered clear of their territory. All in all, things were going well for him. He was fine…or at least he thought he was, though Kana seemed to think otherwise.

Consumed with his thoughts, Rikuo had tuned out his surroundings. As a result, he didn't really pay attention to what was going on around him until a clattering sound caught his attention. At a seat two rows away from his, Kiyotsugu was standing on his feet with a my-prayers-have-been-answered look on his face, his chair lying sideways on the floor. Following his friend's line of sight to the front of the room, Rikuo found the cause of the other boy's surprise. The twirling pen slipped out of his hand and dropped to the floor, but he didn't even notice since he was too busy blinking his eyes to make sure that he wasn't seeing things.

As though replaying a scene from the past, Keikain Yura had just stepped into their classroom as the new transfer student.

* * *

><p>For six particular students, their heads filled with questions for their returning friend, morning classes had never felt so long. Maki and Torii kept looking at their watches and glancing at each other. Shima drummed the desktop restlessly with his fingers. Kiyotsugu tapped the floor impatiently with his foot. Kana kept checking the clock on the wall, and Rikuo kept his eyes on Yura.<p>

The moment the lunch bell rang, Kiyotsugu shot up to his feet again, this time without knocking over his chair. With the advantage of being the one seated right in front of Yura, he was the first to speak her name. "Yura-kun! You're finally back! What took you so long? Our club activities were never quite the same without you!" In fact, the Kiyojuuji Paranormal Investigation Squad had pretty much stopped meeting ever since they started high school. It was all a part of growing up, he supposed, as everyone's interests started taking them all in different directions. However, now that everyone was back together, including their favorite onmyouji girl, perhaps they could go on some exciting adventures again for old times' sake.

As soon as he was finished, the others jumped in.

Torii: "Welcome back, Yura-chan!"

Maki: "It's good to see you, girl!"

Shima: "What brings you back?"

Kana: "How have you been, Yura-chan?"

Yura looked at everyone in turn, marveling at the older versions of familiar faces, happy that they all remembered her. She wasn't sure which comment to respond to first since they had all spoken at once, but she was touched by their exuberant welcome. "Thanks," she said with an earnest smile. "It's good to be back."

Before she could elaborate, she was interrupted when someone else called her name from behind. "Yura."

The onmyouji girl turned to face the owner of the voice she'd know anywhere. "Rikuo."

Then he simply took her wrist and marched toward the door with her in tow.

"…eh?" Yura looked between Rikuo and the rest of their friends with bewilderment.

"Woah, wait up a minute, Nura-kun!" Kiyotsugu protested. "What do you think you're doing?"

Rikuo flashed them a grin from the doorway. "Sorry guys. I'll be borrowing her for a bit." Then the pair disappeared into the hallway.

The remaining five looked at one another with varying degrees of shock and confusion on their faces.

Kiyotsugu was the first to comment. "That was…unusual." The Nura Rikuo he knew wouldn't do things like drag people away to who-knows-where, especially when they were in the middle of a conversation.

"Did she just call him 'Rikuo'?" Torii asked.

Shima scratched his head. "Was he holding her hand?"

Maki quirked a brow. "When did those two get so familiar?"

Kana continued to stare at the now empty doorway in thought. It would seem that she was the only one who noticed the subtle change in Rikuo. His grin just now was one she hadn't seen in a while. _Ah…so, that's what it is…_

* * *

><p>Rikuo opened the door and stepped out onto the school roof. After checking to see that no one else was around, he finally let go of Yura's wrist and turned to face her. There was so much he wanted to ask her, he wasn't sure where to begin.<p>

When all he did was stare, Yura gave a light laugh. "You went through the trouble of bringing me up here. You must have _something_ to say."

He blinked. Then he gave a short chuckle of his own. "When did you get in?" he began, thinking more clearly now.

"Just yesterday," she replied. "I was supposed to be here a couple of days before, but I got held up because of a job."

"Why didn't you tell me you were coming?" He was somewhat disappointed by that fact.

She shrugged and walked over to the railing, looking down to the school yard below. "It was kind of a last minute decision. I…wasn't really sure whether or not I should come."

He rested his elbows on the railing beside her and studied her features, trying to decipher the meaning in those words. "Then…why _did_ you come back?"

She took a deep breath and released it. "To spend my last year as a high school student here. By the time I graduate, I will have turned eighteen. Then I'll go back to Kyoto and formally inherit leadership of the Keikain family." She looked further into the distance at the town itself. "I…really missed this place," she said as she turned to give him a meaningful look.

A smile graced his lips as he reached out and ruffled her hair. "I'm glad you're here." So, they had about one year to spend together…just one year. "Where are you staying?"

She winced a bit at that question. "At a hotel. I'm still looking for a place." She only got here the day before, so she hadn't enough time to work out living arrangements just yet.

"Come stay at our place," he suggested, his tone rather insistent. "Jii-chan would love to have you, and I'm sure he'd want to chat with Hidemoto. It'll be just like before."

"I don't know," she said with uncertainty. "I don't want to impose…" It was one thing for her to be there for intensive training to prevent doomsday from happening. It was quite something else for her to be there for an entire school year just because. She didn't want to be a bother.

"It'll be fine," he said, dismissing her concerns. "Otherwise you'd be living on your own, scoping out bargain sales at grocery stores…and losing out to housewives. My mom would be worried about that."

Yura scowled at the last bit with agitation. "Why would she even _know_ about that?"

"I told her," he admitted without missing a beat, his grin unapologetic.

"Stop telling your family embarrassing things about me!" she huffed. "You know, your human side's getting to be more and more like your youkai side."

"I'm the same person after all," he said, the triumphant grin still adorning his features. "So? You'll come?"

She averted her eyes as she debated internally.

"It's free…," he enticed in an almost singsong tone.

"Fine," she said with a twist of her lips. "Only because it's free," she added hastily.

Perfect. Now that that was settled… "How are things in Kyoto?"

"The seals are back in place. As for the actual rebuild…," she heaved a small sigh, "one year isn't quite enough to repair all the damage left behind by having a portal to hell carved out in the middle of the city, but…it's getting there. What about you? How are things here?"

He gave a light shrug. "Quiet. Should be even quieter now that you're here, since Kiyotsugu won't be constantly dramatically asking the heavens where our onmyouji girl is anymore," he said, his words eliciting laughter from the girl.

Just then, the school bell rang, and the pair exchanged looks of puzzlement.

"Was that the bell?" Yura asked.

"Yeah, but…" It seemed rather soon. Rikuo checked his watch, and sure enough, it was time to get back to class.

"Well…I guess, we did kind of wander the entire school for a good while before we found a place without people."

He raised a brow. "Really? Hm. I didn't notice." Time tended to fly when they were together.

At that moment, Yura suddenly gasped, clutching her head with both hands as she realized something important. "I haven't even eaten, yet!" Now she'd have to starve till the school day ended!

Unable to withhold his mirth, Rikuo laughed as he retrieved a candy bar from his pocket and held it out to her. "You're still the same Yura."

Though flushed with embarrassment, the girl swiped the snack from his hand. "It's _your_ fault I missed lunch," she reminded as she tore the wrapper open.

"Sorry," he said, though he was still wearing a look of delight. "I'll make it up to you later. Let's go." He started heading for the door to the stairs.

"Rikuo, wait."

When he turned around to see what she wanted, Yura shoved half of the candy bar into his mouth. For a second, he simply blinked dumbly down at her. "Wha…?"

"You didn't eat either," she explained flatly.

"You could've just given it to me," he said, talking around the candy bar that was still sticking out of his mouth.

"If I did that, you'd just tell me you didn't want it," she reasoned, walking ahead of him. Then she looked over her shoulder at him with a smile. "…since you're still the same Rikuo."

Mirroring her expression, he followed her down the stairs. "Let's go get something to eat when school gets out." They probably won't last till they got home. "You can pick a place."

"Sounds good."

"My treat."

"Obviously."

* * *

><p>That night, when Rikuo brought Yura home, the clan celebrated, not just for formality's sake. Everyone truly celebrated with genuine joy. As Yura exchanged greetings with everyone, Rikuo watched on with a smile that couldn't be wiped off his face, noting how different the atmosphere was compared to what it had been like in the beginning.<p>

The first time Yura came over, it was with a couple of their classmates back when they were twelve years old. Back then, everyone had hid in fear of the unknown onmyouji girl. The second time was when he had brought her back after his first encounter with Ryuuji. That time, the clan had been wary of Yura, and vice versa. When she returned once again to train with his grandfather, it had been awkward and tense at first despite the fact that his clan and her family had joined forces in the conflict against Hagoromo Gitsune. He supposed it was because many had seen that incident as no more than a temporary truce between the two sides. However, in time, Yura and the clan had grown comfortable with each other. Then at the battle with Seimei, his clan's relationship with the Keikain family seemed to have solidified. And today, his clan welcomed Yura…possibly one of the most powerful onmyoujis in history…into their home as though she was one of their own. Rikuo couldn't help but feel like they had somehow accomplished something incredible between then and now.

When she had finally had enough, Yura slipped outside, leaving the party of drunken youkai behind. Exhaling a breath of relief, she found her way out into the gardens, her favorite place in this old estate. Looking up at the weeping cherry tree, the girl's lips curled up with nostalgia. She approached with the intention of climbing it, but she didn't get far before she was stopped by a blade at her throat that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. Immediately halting with a quiet gasp, she could sense Rikuo's presence right behind her.

Holding the hilt of his spirit blade with one hand, lightly grasping onto its tip with the other, Rikuo had Yura encircled between himself and his katana. With closed eyes and a slight smirk on his features, he leaned forward till his lips were close to her ear before repeating a question he had asked earlier that day. "Why did you come back, Yura?"

"I…" She swallowed, mentally reminding herself to start breathing again. Though not touching her, he was all around her and so very close. "…I just want to spend the time I have left in the place that I want…doing whatever I want…with whoever I want," she divulged quietly. It would probably be difficult to find the opportunity once she took on the responsibilities of her family.

"And? Who might this whoever be?" he questioned again.

She faltered for just a split second before giving her answer. "All my friends who live here, of course."

Withdrawing the blade and returning it to its sheath, Rikuo walked on ahead of her with a small sigh. "Nurari…kurari…"

She quirked a perplexed brow, not really sure what it was he just said. "Huh?"

Placing his fingers to his lips, he gave a loud whistle and summoned Hebi Nyoro.

"Where're you going?" she asked, trailing behind him.

"Midnight stroll."

She petted the snake youkai on the head in greeting. "You still do this every night, huh?"

"Of course," he said, sparing her a glance from the corner of his eye as his confident smirk returned to his lips. "What kind of supreme commander would I be if I don't watch over my own turf?"

"Hey, Rikuo," she said as she continued to caress the snake's head absentmindedly.

"Hm?"

"Mind if I come along whenever you go on these midnight strolls?" It wouldn't be the first time, but back then she only tagged along sporadically. Now she wanted to go with him every time.

Rikuo turned to her with a raised brow. "You want to join my Hyakki Yakou?"

"That's blasphemous!" she exclaimed as she slapped an unactivated ofuda on his forehead to remind him who she was. "I'm an onmyouji," she continued as he peeled the piece of paper off of his face and frowned at it for a moment before carelessly tossing it over his shoulder. "Why would I be a part of your Hyakki Yakou? It doesn't even make sense." She huffed a breath then looked off to the side. "…but…I don't mind walking with it," she admitted. By doing this, it would increase her opportunities to exorcise youkai that required exorcising, so it wasn't like she was making a random suggestion in order to be able to spend more time with him. It was more like killing two birds with one stone.

Rikuo smirked as he considered her words with intrigue. "Hehhhh? A Hyakki Yakou with a top class onmyouji mixed into the procession…" The concept certainly scored high on the unconventionality scale. "Sounds interesting." Leaping onto Hebi Nyoro's back, he held his hand out to her. "I'll take you up on that."

Yura took his proffered hand and hopped aboard. Then getting into their long since established positions, sitting back to back, they took to the sky. As the wind whipped through her hair, the onmyouji girl reaffirmed to herself that she would definitely make the most of her time here.

* * *

><p>For Yura and Rikuo, the months that followed were practically blissful. Attending school during the day, studying in the evening, and ensuring the town's safety at night. They were days filled with amusing times with friends, rowdy occasions with the clan, and quiet moments in each other's company. It felt as though everything was right with the world. However, as graduation drew closer, reality began to sink in. What they had was fleeting, and it would soon come to an end.<p>

"Yura."

No response.

"Yura!"

The girl blinked out of her reverie. "Hm?"

Nurarihyon raised a brow at her distractedness. "You know, if there's something else you need to be doing, you can go on ahead."

She shook her head. "I haven't done much other than studying for finals the past couple of days. I think I need a break." She was currently accompanying the old ayakashi on one of his leisurely walks through town. It was something she enjoyed doing every so often.

Then a rustling sound from the grocery bag that was dangling from her hand caught her attention, and she looked down, her brows knitting together with disapproval at what she saw. "Nattou Kozou! Stop eating everything!"

Hiding inside the plastic bag, the small youkai was currently munching away on the dorayaki they had just purchased. "But it's crowded in here. I'm just making room," he rationalized as he started unwrapping another piece of the red bean paste filled confection.

"If you keep eating, there won't be any left for anyone else by the time we get home!" Yura reprimanded. "How many have you had?"

"Mmm…" He started holding up fingers as he added them up in his head. "Six?"

"That's way too many!" she yelled, causing the nattou youkai to shrink into the bag for cover. "You're going to get sick!" Why did she have to scold him like a little kid? Wasn't he in fact older than she was?

Nurarihyon chuckled at their comical exchange. When Yura turned to him with a questioning look, he merely shook his head. "You seem to be doing well. I'm glad." He could remember a time when her mind had been clouded with confusion about her identity and where she stood with youkai. But now, seeing how she interacted with youkai as naturally as she interacted with humans, it was obvious that she had worked out her issues as he had known she would.

Even though she wasn't sure what he was referring to when saying that she was 'doing well', Yura nodded nonetheless, her hand coming up to cover the yawn from her lips as she did so.

"Except, you really don't seem to be getting enough sleep," the old man observed. "I don't know where it is that you and Rikuo always go off to in the middle of the night," he said, his hand rubbing his chin with a slight smirk, "but if you fall asleep before you even get back, then you're overdoing it, aren't you?" On more than one occasion, he had seen his grandson returning home close to dawn carrying a sleeping Yura in his arms, tiptoeing into her room to tuck her into bed.

She turned away slightly in attempt to hide the interesting shade of red that she knew was on her face. When going on those midnight strolls, she would sometimes doze off before they make it back home. She couldn't help it. She was only human, and she needed her sleep. How it was that she never once fell off the snake's back, she would never know, but what she _really_ didn't understand was… "How come Rikuo can stay up so late every night? And he gets up the next morning, perfectly fine!" she griped. It wasn't quite fair.

The old man laughed. "That boy doesn't need as much sleep because of his youkai blood," he explained. Nevertheless, he could tell that even Rikuo was showing some signs of sleep deprivation.

Yura heaved a small sigh. "I guess the day's just not long enough for me to do everything I want to do." She gave a small grin, her eyes on the pavement as she thought. "I'm enjoying my time here, Ojii-chan. I kind of wish that there were more hours in a day. Or maybe…that time could stand still." She looked up then, but her eyes were glazed over and distant. "…Wasn't there a time when _you_ wished that time could stand still, Ojii-chan?"

Nurarihyon considered her for a moment. He got the feeling that she was asking him something of importance, but he didn't quite understand.

Before the former supreme commander could formulate a reply, Nattou Kozou poked his head out of the bag and sniffed the air. "Soutaichou! Do you smell that?"

The old man sniffed the air and turned to look at the house they had just walked past. "Ah, looks like the Takahashis are having gyoza today." While gyoza was a common food one could get pretty much anywhere, he had to admit that the ones made in this house were one of the best. He turned to his walking companion. "Yura, why don't you go on ahead? I'll catch up."

The onmyouji narrowed her eyes. He was giving her that I'm-a-harmless-old-man grin. "If I go then…what are _you_ going to do?"

"Oh, I'm just going to visit with my neighbors. I won't be long," he said, his senile façade coming on.

"And…will these neighbors _know_ that you're visiting?" she persisted skeptically.

"Don't you worry about the details. I'll work it out." He waved a hand as he began to walk off. "See you back home."

"Ohhhh, no you don't," Yura said with a hand on his shoulder. "Rikuo's going to be mad at you."

Nurarihyon snorted his opinion to that statement. "There's no harm in it. Besides, I have a reputation to keep up." Going into people's homes to eat their food and drink their tea without notice was his thing after all.

"Ojii-chan, don't make me use my binding spell on you," she threatened as she tugged on his arm, desperate to pull him along. "Let's go home! I'll make you gyoza when we get back!"

"You're missing the whole point, Yura," the old ayakashi sighed, but he let her drag him away nonetheless. He knew there must have been a reason why she and his grandson got along so well. They were both sticks in the mud, out to kill his joy.

* * *

><p>Sitting beside her with his arms tucked within the folds of his sleeves, Rikuo watched as Yura sorted through her things. It was the night before their graduation, and she was already starting to pack, getting ready for her trip back to Kyoto.<p>

With all the farewell gifts she received, her belongings seemed to have doubled. It was giving her a bit of a headache trying to figure out how to make everything fit. Not to mention, some of the gifts were a bit strange. Nattou Kozou gave her nattou. She wondered if it could make it through the trip without going bad. Tsurara gave her shaved ice…which was already melting, so basically she had to eat it now. Kappa gave her a fish he caught from the river. It was already dead and would probably stink up the train if she tried to take it with her. Wakana gave her homemade cakes. Saburou Neko gave her a bag full of her favorite snacks from Bakenekoya. Zen gave her green tea leaves. Kubinashi gave her senbei. And…

Seeing the trend, Yura smacked a palm to her forehead. "Why is everyone giving me food?" she grumbled with a bit of annoyance. "Do I really seem so underfed?" Then, catching the highly amused look on Rikuo's face, she quickly added, "Don't answer that!"

"I wasn't going to," he replied with a smug grin.

"Sure you weren't," she said, her tone telling him she didn't believe him for a second. "Aren't you going to send me off with a gift, too?" she inquired, noting that she had pretty much received a gift from everyone except for him.

He eyed the wide range of food selections spread out on the floor all around them. "What…this isn't enough?" he asked dryly.

She chuckled as she continued to make room in her suitcase for things. "This is _more_ than enough."

"That's good, because I didn't get anything," he admitted.

"Why not?" she asked, feigning disappointment.

Why didn't he get a gift to send her off? Truthfully, it was simply because he didn't _want_ to send her off. He didn't want to acknowledge that this day would come. This past year, they had spent practically every waking moment together. She had become a constant in his life. To be suddenly without her again would be akin to cutting off half of himself. "Doesn't matter," he said, because it would be pointless to explain. "But if you absolutely cannot live without that gift," he added, his usual cockiness seeping back into his voice, "I can always improvise."

She rolled her eyes as she continued to pack, not even bothering to look his way. She was sure that he was going to say something smart and tease her again, perhaps even offer to give her leftovers from the kitchen as a gift. Therefore, it came as a complete surprise and caught her off guard when he cupped his hands over her cheeks and drew her closer to himself.

Yura would have asked him what he was doing. However, when she saw the serious expression on his features, the question died at her lips. She froze, unable to speak, unable to move, her breath caught in her throat. He leaned in slowly, his eyes on her lips, and there was no question as to what his intention was. When he was but a hair's breadth away, she finally found her voice again, her words coming out in nothing but a whisper. "…please don't."

Rikuo looked into her eyes then and, seeing that she was about in tears, he did as she had asked. With a heavy sigh, he placed his forehead against hers, his hands still refusing to relinquish their hold on her cheeks. In response, Yura closed her eyes and placed her hands tenderly over his wrists.

After an indefinite stretch of silence, Rikuo finally spoke up. "I don't suppose you could stay," he tried halfheartedly with a resigned smirk.

"You know I can't," Yura replied softly… regrettably. "But if you ever need anything…I'll be here for you." It was the only thing she could offer.

Rikuo gave a humorless laugh. _Nurari…kurari…_

The day after their graduation, Keikain Yura returned to Kyoto.

* * *

><p>AN: Tried to address Kana a bit in this chapter. I'm not much of a Kana fan. She kind of…doesn't really do anything. Seriously. Even Torii and Maki are better developed characters. Haha. (Have you read 170 - 172?) But either way, there are loose ends that I felt should be wrapped up with Kana. She's not a _bad_ person. I just don't see her fitting into the same world and lifestyle. It makes sense to me that she'd realize these things as she gets older.

The 'Yura will formally inherit leadership when she turns 18' thing is something I made up for the purposes of this fic. Thought I'd mention that just in case anyone walks off thinking it was a fact cited from canon. Heh.

This is unrelated but, if the information on the Nurarihyon no Mago Wiki is to be believed, then I have the same birthday as Nattou Kozou. LOL! I thought that was hilarious. XD

Mini glossary, just in case:

Yakuza - organized crime...sort of the Japanese version of mafia.

Jii-chan – grandpa (an even shorter form of Ojii-chan)

Dorayaki – Japanese confection made with 2 small pancake patties with red bean paste sandwiched in between

Soutaichou – supreme commander (Nattou Kozou still refers to Nurarihyon as such in this chapter despite the fact that the position has already passed on to Rikuo)

Gyoza – dumplings

Nattou – fermented soybeans

Next chapter's the last!

Thanks for reading! Reviews much appreciated!


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Nurarihyon no Mago is the property of Shiibashi Hiroshi.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Four:<strong>

Sitting on the veranda, Nurarihyon took a long drag from his pipe and exhaled slowly, watching as the wisps of smoke dispersed into the crisp night air. "What do you think, Karasu Tengu?"

Sitting beside him, the old crow youkai looked up from his steaming cup of tea. "About what, Soutaichou?"

"About my idiot grandson."

Following the former supreme commander's line of sight to the young man perched up in the tree on the other side of the garden, Karasu Tengu's expression brightened. "I have to admit…there was a time when I was worried." The boy _did_ go through a phase when he wanted nothing to do with the clan after all. "But Rikuo-sama has really stepped up and embraced his destiny. He has already managed to restore the Nura Clan to its former glory. For being only at the young age of twenty-three, that is most impressive." The old crow chuckled with a shake of his head. "He has become a fine leader, much like his father. I have nothing to worry about."

"Are you sure about that?" Nurarihyon challenged with a frown, his penetrating eyes never leaving the boy.

Karasu Tengu looked to his commander with a quizzical expression, hoping for an elaboration.

"So, you say he's like Rihan, is he?" Nurarihyon continued before giving a snort. "You know, when Rihan brought his women home, he swept them off their feet and brought them home."

At that moment, the crow youkai raised his brows and opened his beak with a silent 'ahhh', finally comprehending what his commander was getting at. "Well…to be fair, both Yamabuki-sama and Wakana-sama _were_ actually _women_ when Rihan-sama brought them home," he defended. "The first time Rikuo-sama brought _her_ home…she was still just a child."

"She's a woman now, isn't she?" the old ayakashi retorted dryly without missing a beat.

Karasu Tengu opened his beak, but it took him a few seconds before he could find his words. "Well…I am sure there are additional complications that come with her being an onmyouji and such." Not to mention, it wasn't just _any_ onmyouji they were talking about. It was the head of _the_ Keikain family. "Rikuo-sama has chosen a much more difficult path for himself in this regard."

Nurarihyon just about sneered, unimpressed. "Excuses." Quite frankly, he had just about had it with that boy.

Though Rikuo would never say a word about it, and no one would dare ask, it was obvious to everyone at the main house what the issue was, because the vibrancy in Rikuo's aura had been lost since Keikain Yura took her leave five years ago. During the day, when in his human form, it was a bit more telling the way he would space out from time to time. At night, when in his youkai form, armed with that smirk and cocky attitude, he was much better at concealing it, though he wasn't fooling anybody, least of all his grandfather. And at times like these when the boy would just sit there, listless in the quiet night like he didn't know what to do with himself, it was downright difficult for the old man to watch.

"Pathetic," Nurarihyon said with a sigh of disappointment. Then he got to his feet and headed for the tree.

"Wait! Soutaichou!" Karasu Tengu said in a strained whisper in hopes of holding him back. "Soutaichou!" However, his words fell on deaf ears.

"Oi, Rikuo!" the founder of the Nura Clan called up to the boy on the branches. "What're you waiting for? Dallying around like you've got all the time in the world."

Sparing his grandfather a glance, Rikuo raised a brow. "Hn?" He had no idea what the old man was talking about.

"A nice girl like that won't be waiting around forever, you know," Nurarihyon elaborated as he folded his arms.

The boy turned away. "Shut up, old man. That's none of your business." He took a sip from the forgotten sake cup he had been holding in his hand for a length of time he could not remember.

The old ayakashi smirked. At least his idiot grandson was man enough to not deny anything. "Taking more than a decade to court a woman?" he voiced as he rubbed his chin in thought. "What a disgrace. How is it that you're my grandson? You don't have any of my manly charms or wooing skills."

Rikuo almost rolled his eyes despite himself. "If you're so great, how'd _you_ do it?" he deadpanned, not particularly interested.

Nurarihyon stood up straighter. "On the night I met your grandmother, I slipped into her room, pinned her to the floor, and told her I wanted her."

For the first time in his life, Nura Rikuo choked on perfectly good sake and sprayed it out of his mouth when he heard that proud declaration. "Old man…in this day and age, they call that sexual harassment," he noted dryly. _They probably considered it that back then, too, you old pervert!_

"Rikuo." The sudden seriousness in the old man's voice commanded the boy's full attention. "The point is, either you go get her, or you move on. The way you are now, you won't be able to lead your Hyakki Yakou in the long run."

The boy frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Heh. Who's ever heard of a lovesick and depressed supreme commander of all youkai?" Nurarihyon inquired, his tone mocking. "What kind of Fear could such a commander possess? It's laughable, isn't it?"

A vein popped on Rikuo's forehead as his grandfather walked away laughing. "…you shitty old bastard…" he all but hissed. He was tempted to pull the Nura Clan Traditional Family Technique: Flying Youkai Yakuza Kick on his grandfather's bald head, but he had to admit that the old man did have a point.

Rikuo turned his eyes up to the moon. He had to make a decision. And given the options, his choice was not hard to make.

* * *

><p>The next day…<p>

"I'm going to Kyoto."

The moment those words left Rikuo's lips, everyone within hearing distance cheered.

Zen grinned as he slapped his sworn brother on the back. "It's about damn time!"

Tsurara suddenly appeared before him with a friendly warning. "Waka, if you return alone, I'm not letting you in the house."

"Should we come along with you, Rikuo-sama?" Kurotabou inquired. "In case an onmyouji should mistake you as an enemy and attack?"

"It _has_ been a few years," Aotabou agreed. "The newbies there probably won't know who you are."

"Wakana-sama!" Kejourou hollered as she waved to the woman who was hanging up laundry in the yard. "Rikuo-sama's going to Kyoto!"

"Oh!" the perpetually happy woman exclaimed. "Does that mean I can start looking forward to having grandchildren now?"

"Bring her a bowl of rice with eggs as backup!" Nattou Kozou suggested. "If all else fails, that should help win her over!"

Rikuo found himself dumbfounded and overwhelmed. "What…? But…? How…?" It had been a long time since he was this tongue-tied and baffled, even by the standards of his human form which he was currently in. He never even said _why_ he was going to Kyoto! He placed a hand to his forehead, rubbing his temples with his fingers. _Was I __**that**__ obvious?_

"Rikuo."

The young man looked up at the sound of his grandfather's voice. "I don't think I need any more advice, Jii-chan," he said tiredly.

"That's not it," Nurarihyon replied with a smirk. "When you see Yura…tell her something for me."

* * *

><p>"Ryuuji nii-chan? Are you listening to me?...Ryuuji nii-chan!"<p>

Exerting self control in order to refrain from grinding his teeth, Ryuuji glared at his sister, who was currently sitting at his desk, from above the pages of the book he was _trying_ to read.

When he didn't say anything, Yura repeated herself. "The case in Kaizu?"

He heaved an exasperated breath as he tossed his book onto his bed. He should have known that the moment Yura walked into his room, his relaxing evening had come to an end. "It's been taken care of."

"So, what was it?"

"Rats." Pretty much all the livestock and pets, especially cats, in that area had been mauled and devoured by the time they got the case. Any later and those rats would have started hunting humans.

Yura shivered involuntarily just at the word 'rats'. "Were they part of a clan?"

He folded his arms. "No. Just a couple of rogues."

She relaxed a bit at that. Rats were nasty, but rats in a clan were nastier. Past experience of a very personal sort had taught her that. She ticked something off of the job list in her hand. "What about the Yoshidas' request?"

"False alarm," he said, his tone already making it obvious he thought the whole thing had been a complete waste of his time. "All the things going on in their house…the pipes bursting, beams falling, and all that… It was just because they live in a really old house and they never thought to do any maintenance." Really. Some people were too superstitious and cheap for their own good.

Yura ticked something else off the job list. "Mamiru nii-chan told me about there being a new job at Kaju Temple?"

"Yeah. He and I will look into it tomorrow." He scowled again. "Are we done, yet? Leave the rest till morning."

She gave a small frown of incomprehension. "Why can't we do it now?"

"We're in my room," he explained flatly. "I don't want to have a job meeting in my room." He was all about kicking youkai ass, but not twenty-four/seven.

"Oh." She blinked. "Would you rather we go talk somewhere else then?"

"No. I'd rather we not talk at all," he retorted, getting irked. "Now, get out!"

Yura blew her bangs away from her eyes, dissatisfied, and then took a glance at the clock. There was still time. "Fine. Guess I'll go look into whatever's going on at Kaju Temple." When she tried to let herself out, she found her path barred when her brother, who had been lounging in a chair at the far end of the room just a second ago, suddenly came up behind her and slammed his hand on the door, keeping her in.

"It's late," Ryuuji said sternly. "You literally _just_ came back from the job in Matsue. You need to stop."

She turned on her heels and looked up at him with righteous defiance. "I'm the head of the family," she said calmly. "It's my duty."

The older Keikain frowned. As expected, she was pulling the 'head of the family' card. "Even heads need to sleep, or they won't be heads for very long. Now, do as I say and go get some rest." If she was going to pull the 'head' card, then he'd just counter with the 'older brother' card. Two can play at this game.

She inhaled as though she wanted to retort, but then she swallowed her words and simply stomped off to her room without another word to her brother.

Ryuuji raked a hand through his hair after watching her disappear down the hall. "Idiot." If she needed to keep herself _that_ busy in order to not think about something, then what was the point? "Little sisters are such a pain."

* * *

><p>Yura entered her room and closed the door. Being the stubborn girl that she was, she wasn't going to just go to sleep like her brother wanted. Instead, she went over to her bookshelf and pulled out a book, her mind set on doing some research in preparation for tomorrow's work.<p>

She sat on her heels at her table and opened the book when a piece of paper fell out from between the pages. Yura recognized it almost immediately: a travel agency's brochure advertising travel to Tokyo. Her eyebrow twitched and she practically hissed her next word. "Hi…de…mo…to…!" She had no idea how he got his hands on the brochures...most likely, he had someone else go get them for him…but this was already the ninth one she had discovered randomly hidden amongst her belongings.

That was the problem with having a powerful ancestor as a shikigami. Whenever Yura summoned him, he would hang around longer than she required him to and do all sorts of useless things. His favorite useless thing to do was to dig out the Nura Clan's haori, the one he had obtained for her during the Hagoromo Gitsune incident even when she had vehemently insisted that she didn't need it, and lay it out somewhere visible for her to find. She really didn't understand why he was so enthusiastic about reminding her of Rikuo. It was, quite frankly, making things even more difficult for her than it already was.

Setting the brochure aside, Yura flipped through the pages until she got to the section about temple and shrine gods. If there was something going on at a temple, then it was possible that it might have something to do with the local deities. It would be wise for her to brush up on who the deities in the area around Kaju Temple were as well as their powers and weaknesses.

As she read up on this subject, she was reminded of the local deities in Ukiyoe Town. Sometimes during their midnight strolls, Rikuo would take her to one shrine or another to visit the guardian deity who resided there. It was strange how those visits were more like going to a friend's house rather than going to a place of worship. At times Rikuo would even bring sake, and they would lounge around the shrine, a place treated as sacred by worshipers, as though it was their living room. And Rikuo would always say…

Suddenly realizing where her thoughts had taken her, Yura visibly deflated, smacking her forehead against the table's surface with a dull thud as her body crumbled. Closing her eyes, she silently berated herself. Why was it that, no matter what she did, her thoughts would always stray back to him? Hadn't it already been five years? However, it seemed time hadn't been doing its part to dilute much of anything for her…

"This room's quite an upgrade from the store room I remember."

Yura's head shot up at the sound of that unmistakable voice, and her eyes were wide, suddenly alert. Was that in her head? Was she so far gone that she was delusional now?

"Guess that's the benefit of being head of the family, huh?"

No. She definitely heard it. Still in shock, Yura turned around to find Rikuo sitting on her window sill, composed and relaxed, sipping sake from his cup.

He looked to her with a small smirk. "Yo, Yura."

She was still in a daze, unable to believe her eyes. "…Rikuo." When she finally regained her wits, she jumped to her feet in alarm. "Did something happen?"

"What makes you think that?" he asked, still as calm as ever.

"Well…" she began, uncertain, "you're here out of the blue, and…so late…"

"Hm? You're the one who came back late. I've actually been here for a while. See…" He held up his sake bottle and turned it upside down, but nothing came out. "I'm already out of sake. Although…" He looked out the window as he gathered his thoughts. "…I have thought, from time to time, that it might not be such a bad thing if something were to happen…since it was looking like our paths would never cross again otherwise." He turned back to her then, his expression unreadable.

Yura averted her eyes. "I guess it's harder, now that we both have responsibilities."

An awkward stretch of silence followed, and it was at this inopportune moment that Yura's stomach growled.

The smirk returned to Rikuo's lips. "Is business so bad that you have to starve even while living at the main house?" he inquired mockingly. He had a feeling that things like this would always happen to her, no matter how old she got. That was why he came prepared. "Here." He produced a candy bar from within his sleeves and held it out to her.

Yura swiped it with a twist of her lips, embarrassed. "Shut up! I just didn't have time to eat, yet!" She had forgotten all about dinner…something that happened often ever since she became a workaholic. If nothing else, at least the awkwardness had been dispelled. "How were you able to get away?" she asked as she unwrapped the candy bar and took a bite.

"Asked the old man to take care of things while I was gone," he replied simply.

She brightened at the mention of Nurarihyon. "How's Ojii-chan?"

"Fine. Getting more senile."

"And everyone else?"

"Rowdy as usual."

"Hmm…seems like everyone's doing well," she mused aloud as she continued to eat, noting how, just like in the past, they were able to talk comfortably as though they'd never been apart for long spans of time. "I'm glad. So, what brings you all the way out here to Kyoto?"

He gave a light shrug of nonchalance. "Before you left Ukiyoe Town, you said to let you know if I ever needed anything."

Her chewing motion slowed down as she thought. "…Yes, of course." Now she was a bit confused. Didn't their conversation just now pretty much establish that nothing had happened? Did she miss something? Regardless, whatever it may be, for him, she was always willing to help. "What do you need?"

"You."

Food went down the wrong pipe, and Yura began to cough, choking on the candy bar.

Rikuo heaved a sigh then handed her what was left of the sake in his cup.

After gulping down the liquid and clearing her throat, Yura asked her next question with disbelief while still trying to catch her breath. "For what?"

"Many things," he replied with another smirk, feeling a bit of déjà vu in their exchange.

She frowned, confusion written all over her face. "I don't understand."

"Sure you do. You wouldn't have choked so comically otherwise." He stood up and stepped closer to her, holding her chin to make sure that he had her full attention before saying very clearly, enunciating every word as though explaining to a child. "I. Need. You."

Yura was on the verge of hyperventilation as she stood frozen, staring up at him. Over the years, they had always skirted around this subject, even though they both knew it was there. It was almost like an unspoken agreement between them to not put it into words. For him to so suddenly confront her so directly on this…she was not prepared for it. "Wh…why me?" she stuttered. "I…I'm not as pretty and graceful as Ienaga-san."

Rikuo let go of her chin and folded his arms. "Ah," he said, agreeing a tad too readily for her liking. "I guess that means I have so-so taste."

She let that indirect prick to her ego slide as she was preoccupied with something a bit more important. "I'm not as agreeable and nice to you as Tsurara. I argue and fight."

With his chin in hand, his brows came together in a pensive frown. "…I wonder if that makes me slightly masochistic…"

"I'm being serious, you arrogant prick!" she yelled with an ofuda in hand, ready to be slapped onto his forehead.

He caught her wrist before she could hit her mark. "So am I," he said, his tone becoming stern.

With a twist of her wrist, she slipped out of his hold. She felt dizzy, and she couldn't think straight. She placed a hand to her temple as she walked past him towards the table. "I still have some preparation to do before tomorrow's—"

Before she could even finish speaking, Yura found herself pinned against the wall with Rikuo's hands locked around her wrists, one held against the wall by her head, the other he was holding in the space between them, clutched to his chest.

"Nurari…kurari…" The frustration was clear in his eyes. "You keep slipping in and out of my life. You're even more evasive than the youkai Nurarihyon…I don't want to play this game anymore."

"Rikuo…please let go," she pleaded.

He tightened his hold. He would not let her slip away again this time…not until he got his answers. "Why can't you accept it?" It was not her feelings for him that was in question. Even though she never said it, he knew she loved him, just as he was certain that she had always understood his feelings for her. But for reasons he could not fathom, she would not allow herself to acknowledge it. "Is it because you're an onmyouji and I'm a youkai?"

Yura gave him a flabbergasted look. "What? Of course not!" She had worked through that issue years ago. She felt a bit insulted he even asked.

"Is it because of your duties as head of the Keikain family?"

"No." She gave herself a mental kick as soon as she said that. She should have lied. Now she was cornered.

It was true that she wasn't as tied down to Kyoto as it may have seemed. She herself had had many jobs outside of the area that kept her away for long periods of time. There were many competent members in their family, and Ryuuji was dependable and more than capable of taking care of things in her absence.

"Then what?" Rikuo asked, his voice rising. His patience was wearing thin, but his eyes softened when he saw the unshed tears brimming in hers. He let go of the wrist he was holding against the wall and touched her cheek, feeling tired. "Yura…just tell me."

"Rikuo…" She shook her head, unable to meet his eyes. "It won't be happily ever after for us. The lifespan of a human is so much shorter than that of a youkai. Your grandfather…he's already outlived your grandmother by centuries… _Centuries_! Is that what you want for yourself?" She would never forget her conversation with Nurarihyon the night she asked him about his human wife. Though he never answered her question, the look in his eyes had spoken volumes. How much he missed her…the loneliness he was bearing without her…centuries' worth of it… It was not something she wished for Rikuo, not something she wished for the one she loved. He would be better off finding someone else. "…I don't want to leave you behind…"

Rikuo found himself stunned speechless. She had said something completely unexpected. So, all along, she had been concerned for him, for his future. He thought her utterly foolish and, at the same time, her beauty beyond words or form. Brushing his thumb lightly across her cheek, he leaned in to kiss her.

Once again, she halted him with the soft sound of her voice as she tried to press herself into the wall behind her. "Rikuo…think long and hard before you—"

He sealed his lips over hers without allowing her to finish, lingering briefly before pulling away to speak. "I _have_ thought long and hard." He had had years to do it after all. "I can't say that I know what it's like for the old man, but he's at least happier than I am right now." Without her, it seemed he couldn't function properly as a person. "And I'm not buying your reason. Instead of leaving me behind somewhere down the road, you're going to leave me behind now? What kind of half-baked Keikain Yura logic is that?"

"You weren't supposed to…" He wasn't supposed to fall in love with her.

Even though she left her words hanging, he knew what she wanted to say. "It's too late for that." Ten years too late.

She bit her bottom lip as she looked up at him, trying to contain her emotions even as tears spilled from her eyes. She had never seen him look so vulnerable as he bared it all for her to see. To Yura, it appeared as though his spirit could break at any moment, and she regretted the choice she had made to spend the last year of high school in Ukiyoe. She simply wasn't able to help it, wasn't able to help wanting to be near him. She had told herself at the time that that would be it, and they would go on to live their separate lives afterwards, but she had only been fooling herself. That time they had spent together made it even harder for her to let go. Seeing him now…she came to realize it was impossible for her to let go.

Brushing Rikuo's hair away from his eyes with feather-light fingers, Yura half sobbed, half whispered his name as she placed her hands on his cheeks and brought him down for another kiss, brushing her lips softly over his. Once…twice…and when their lips met again a third time, she poured all her emotions into it, her arms winding tightly around his neck as he engulfed her within his embrace, reciprocating all that she had to give and more.

When they finally parted, Rikuo placed his forehead against Yura's, smiling with a sense of contentment he hadn't felt in years. With his mind at ease, he suddenly recalled a little something he was supposed to do. "The old man says to tell you something."

"Ojii-chan?" she asked, still panting lightly.

"He said, 'If time stood still, then nothing would happen, good or bad'. I have no idea what he's talking about, but I'm assuming that you do."

Yura bit her lips and nodded her confirmation as she tried to hold back a second wave of tears. It was Nurarihyon's answer to a question she had asked before she left Ukiyoe Town. So, he had never wished for time to stand still. He had made his choice to pursue a love that was, to him, ephemeral, and accepted everything that came with it, good and bad. Yura smiled to herself with newfound admiration for the one she considered her shishou, thinking that it was so like him, the great Nurarihyon, to be that way and wondered if such qualities were rubbing off on Rikuo.

"So, you'll come back with me?" Rikuo asked, his quiet voice breaking into her thoughts.

She considered him for a moment then gave a small sigh of resignation. "Why can't you just find someone else?"

He shrugged. "I would, if there was another Keikain Yura out there."

She laughed shortly at his words. "You're an idiot."

"I prefer eccentric," he replied with a smirk.

"You're going to regret it when I turn into a grandma," she said as she wiped the remaining tears from her face.

"It'll be fine," he reassured. "Your looks are just so-so to begin with. It won't make much difference when you get old."

She shot him a death glare. "What did you say?"

With a mischievous glint in his eyes, unaffected by her sudden temper, he began to repeat himself. "I said—"

"I heard what you said!" she hollered as she slapped an ofuda on his forehead, making sure to do it hard. "You're the absolute worst!"

At that moment, there was a banging on the door, and a voice could be heard coming from the other side. "Oi! Keep it down in there!"

As Rikuo leisurely removed the ofuda and tossed it aside, Yura gasped. "Ryuuji nii-chan!"

On the other side of the door, Ryuuji continued. "And Yura…tell your guest that we're _definitely_ not feeding him this time!"

Yura grumbled and huffed a breath as she stomped over to get the door, just so she could tell her brother how ridiculous he was to his face.

Rikuo grinned to himself as he watched the siblings' squabble with quiet amusement. No, he wasn't interested in food and tea. He will, however, be taking the Keikain family's most valuable gem with him whether they liked it or not. He was Nurarihyon's grandson after all. He would be breaking some unwritten laws of nature if he didn't do something of this sort at least once in his life.

…END…

* * *

><p>AN: And that's the story. I still think it reads better in one go... This is the first time I've written something that's this heavily focused on the romance. I'm not really used to it. Hope it turned out ok.

Even though he doesn't show up much, Hidemoto's one of my favorite characters. The guy cracks me up! I laughed so hard when he brought Yura the 'Fear' haori, I had to mention it here. XD The part where the Toono guys asked Rikuo if Yura was a beauty and he answered "She's so-so" with a straight face was also another LMAO moment that I had to work into the story somehow. LOL!

Mini glossary, just in case (only one word this time):

Shishou – master/teacher (typically of martial arts and the like)

Thanks for reading! Hope you liked! Reviews much appreciated!

And to my silent readers, you've come this far, if I can get an overall thought from you, I'd be grateful.

That's all for now! Until next time!


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